Hitherto pneumatic tires configured from rubber, organic fiber materials, steel members, etc. have been employed in vehicles such as cars. Ordinary rubber materials employed in conventional pneumatic tires do not have problems with heat resistance or the like. However, the tire production process normally involves plural processes, such as kneading, seating, molding, and vulcanizing, and improvements to productivity are being demanded.
The use of resin materials, and in particular thermoplastic resins, and thermoplastic elastomers, as tire materials, has, however, recently been investigated from the perspectives of reducing weight, ease of molding, and ease of recycling. For example, pneumatic tires formed using thermoplastic polymer materials are described in Patent Document 1 (JP-A No. 2003-104008) below. Thermoplastic polymer materials (thermoplastic resins) have many advantages from the perspective of raising productivity, such as the capability to be injection molded.
Moreover, there has also been a proposal for a thermoplastic elastomer composition formed including a dynamically crosslinked blend of a halogenated isobutylene elastomer, a polyamide, and an anti-aging agent having a melting point higher than 70° C. and lower than 200° C. (see Patent Document 2 (Japanese National Phase Publication 2006-514141)) as technology enabling a resin to be used for part of a tire (such as for an inner liner).